Iona Mourns Michael Haynes, a Recruit Who Was Fatally Shot

By ZACH SCHONBRUN

July 28, 2012

During his recruiting visit to Iona College in May, Michael Haynes talked excitedly about how the college’s quaint campus represented an ideal escape from the rough neighborhood in Chicago where he lived.

Haynes, a forward projected to be a key contributor to the Gaels’ men’s basketball team this season, was shot and killed in that hometown neighborhood on Thursday. He was 22, and just days away from reporting to Iona for summer classes.

According to reports, Haynes was shot in the wrist, chest and back while trying to break up a fight over a stolen necklace near his apartment on Chicago’s South Side. He was home waiting for a grade from a class to be posted so he could move to the campus in New Rochelle, N.Y.

“It’s a shame,” said the Iona assistant Jared Grasso, who recruited Haynes. “He was a couple of days away from leaving. For it to happen the way it did is just an incredibly sad story.”

Haynes’s mother died when he was young. He and his younger brother, Marcus, were raised by their grandmother. At Heat Academy, a prep school in Martinsville, Va., the 6-foot-7 Haynes drew recruiting interest from programs like Duke, DePaul and Iowa State. He eventually committed to Texas-El Paso but soon transferred to Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa, about four hours from Chicago.

His focus was often distracted by reports of violence back home.

“We spent a lot of time talking about that; he was extremely concerned about his family,” Indians Hills Coach Barrett Peery said. “The last thing we talked about was how excited he was to get to New York.”

Grasso scouted Haynes in high school and thought his size and energy reminded him of Gaels forward Mike Glover, another former junior college transfer. Peery said Haynes had offers from Miami of Ohio and Texas-San Antonio, but chose Iona because he loved its campus and atmosphere.

“The Iona family is devastated with the news on Michael’s passing,” Iona Coach Tim Cluess said in a statement. “His passion, energy and excitement for his opportunity this year makes this tragedy even more upsetting.”

Haynes was one of nine players in Iona’s 2012 recruiting class.

“He wanted to get out of Chicago as soon as possible,” Grasso said. “It’s a sad thing. He was such a good kid. He just wanted an opportunity.”